Applicator



Aug. 23, 1938.

G. E. TROELLEIR APPLICATOR Filed April '7, 1937 INVENTOR a QM E I. 4 L m7 E O v R T E Y B C ATTORNEY.)

Patented Aug. 23, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Durex Products, N. Y., a corporation Incorporated,

New York, of New York Application April 7, 1937, Serial No. 135,393

Claims.

This invention relates to a device of the nature of an instrument for inserting readily within a cavity of the human body an article, such as a pessary; especially for so applying such an article of the type including a resilient annular rim and a body of elastic sheet material, (for example sheet rubber) and more particularly an applicator or inserter of the type having'a shank provided near one of its ends with an abutment to be engaged with the inner circumference of said annular rim of the article at a suitable selected region, whereby the pessary may be distended, by a suitable manual operation; may then be inserted within a body cavity, such as the vagina, extending into position for application readily to an occluded part, such as the cervix, and may be released after having been superimposed thereupon.

In order to be satisfactorily serviceable for 20 such an intimate operation, an applicator or inserter of this kind must conform to a substantial portion of the following requirements,

Viz.;

(1) The applicator must be of a unitary, selfcontained structure;

(2) It will preferably be fabricated entirely of non-corrodible metal, or equivalent sterilizable and non-corrodible material, with a shank member of suitable length and contour, and having means for distending the pessary or like article and for applying the stretched device to the cervix or like occluded organ;

(3) The distending means will preferably be made of metal or like sterilizable material and of such a character as to permit its securement to the applicator adjustably in such a manner as to hold the article in its extended condition, available to be presented for the operation of emplacement, without requiring the exercise of substantial digital strength by the user;

(4) The essential features of the inserter should be capable of embodiment in a device of any desirable shape and curvature and which may be used with pessaries or like articles of various lengths, interchangeably, without substitution of component parts;

(5) The applicator should be characterized by a smooth, non-irritant formation of its various parts;

(6) It should be of simple structure, easy and inexpensive to fabricate and to maintain in working condition, and economical to produce in quantities; its component parts being of readily standardizable form.

Under such conditions, an object of the present invention is to provide an applicator device in the fabrication of which each of the foregoing desirable requirements will be satisfied, and which will avoid certain departures from satisfactory performance which have characterized M conventional devices of the same general type,

but tending to irritate the circumjacent living i tissues;

(0) the difficulty, common to several existing types of applicators, in releasing therefrom the distended pessary after its application;

(d) the presence of enclosed sliding parts which tend to entrain fluids in their interstitial spaces, and corruptible matter which destroys the sterility of the device;

(e) the very annoying difficulty experienced in effecting disengagement of the pessary from the projections referred to above in (12) so as to be able to withdraw the inserter after the diaphragm has been introduced;

(f) the presence in certain of these devices of rods and springs which interfere with the desirable use of a suitably curved inserter shank.

In providing for avoiding these inconveniences, and achievement of the first stated objects, and others which will appear as the description of the particular physical structure selected for illustration and disclosure herein progresses, an inserter has been provided of the generally curved form which is disclosed in a co-pending application of Rene M. Hay, Serial No. 679,221 filed July 6, 1935, for Medical appliances; the shank of which terminates in a grooved head or abutment adapted to be engaged with the inner circumference of the resilient annular rim of the pessary, while at the other end a hook may be provided for convenience in manipulation.

In order to permit the elastic diaphragm structure of the pessary, to be placed under tension, and distended to present it in appropriate condition for superposition upon the cervix; and also to permit the distended pessary to be held in such extended position without the exertion of an appreciable amount of strength by the user, a flexible tension member is provided, having at one end a hook for engagement with the rim of pessary at a region remote from the rim portion engaged with the abutment of the inserter, and means whereby the flexible member may be connected selectively at various points along its length with a region of the inserter shank intermediate its ends, so that the flexible member will be maintained in its adjusted position, and will in its turn hold the pessary for application, without requiring volitional effort on the part of the user, whose attention can be devoted exclusively to the operation of emplacement.

In the accompanying drawing, like characters of reference have been applied to corresponding parts throughout the several views which make up the drawing, in which Fig. l is a view in side elevation of an applicator device in the construction of which the present invention has been embodied; and also showing in connection with the applicator a pessary distended and ready to be applied;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the shank member of the applicator, shown separately;

Fig. 3 is a view of the flexible tension-applying chain member of the applicator device, shown separately;

Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the shank member of the applicator, shown separately.

In the now-preferred embodiment of the invention selected for illustration and description to permit ready and complete understanding of the invention, the reference character A designates generally an inserter device which is formed at one end with a hook-member l0 and at its other end with a head or abutment II, grooved preferably, as at l2, to be engaged with the inner circumferential region, as at l3, of the annular, somewhat stiflly resilient rim l4 of a pessary of the diaphragm type, in the rim of which is enrolled a coiled wire spring, indicated by the dotted circle at IS. The hook member ID is used for withdrawal of the pessary.

A pessary of this general type is disclosed in co-pending application of Rene M. Hay Serial No. 432,306, filed March 1, 1930, for Pessaries and method of making the same, now Patent No. 2,101,255.

The reference character I! designates generally a chain of known type, including metal beads l8 and having at one terminal a hook l9 and at its other terminal a ball 20, these terminals limiting the range of the chains adjustive and actuating movements through the orifice 2|, which is of keyhole shape and of suitable size at its larger end to permit free movement of the ball chain lengthwise.

In use, the pessary 22 is assembled with the inserter device by so placing the portion 23 of the rim M of the diaphragm in the groove l2 on the inserter head or abutment, and the hook IQ of the chain is attached to the other end of the diaphragm, the hook being so designed as to engage the rim properly and not to injure the rubber of the diaphragm,

As the chain ll rests normally within the orifice 2| in the inserter, the chain is now pulled until the diaphragm has been stretched to the tension desired, and is then pulled from below the device until one of the beads 18 catches in the slot portion 24 of the hole in the inserter. The instrument may then be laid down, as it grips the diaphragm firmly, and holds it taut.

For the release of the diaphragm, after its insertion, it is only necessary to disengage the bead under the slot in the hole of the inserter, by pulling the bead chain forward through the hole until the tension on the chain is relaxed, and it is then a very simple matter merely to lift the hook 01f the diaphragm, which then is caused by its intrinsic flexibility to assume its intended position in the cavity; and then the inserter, with its chain IT, can be withdrawn without danger of any injury to the tender circumjacent living tissue, as a result of the improvements which characterize applicants invention.

By having a suflicient number of beads l8 on the chain, and by providing in the shank of the inserter, a hole as M of suitable size and crosssection, it is possible to use one inserter for any of the usual sizes of diaphragms that are now available. This constitutes a notable advantage of the novel inserter herein disclosed.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An applicator or inserter device for installing in a cavity of the human body a distensible article, such as a pessary of the type having a resilient annular rim and a body of elastic sheet material; said device comprising an elongated shank having at one end an abutment adapted to be engaged removably with the inner circumference of said annular rim; a flexible tension member having near one end a hook device for engagement removably with a region of said rim remote from said abutment; and means whereby said flexible member may be connected at various selected points along its length with an intermediate region of said applicator shank, and serving when placed under tension and so connected to distend said article to any desired and suitable extent for application.

2. An applicator or inserter device for installing in a cavity of the human body a distensible article, such as a pessary of the type having a resilient annular rim and a body of elastic sheet material; said device comprising an elongated metal shank having at one end a grooved abutment adapted to be engaged removably with the inner circumference of said annular rim; a flexible metal tension member having near one end a hook device for engagement removably with a region of said rim remote from said abutment; and means whereby said flexible member may be connected at various selected points along its length with an intermediate region of said applicator shank, and serving when placed under ten sion and so connected to distend said article to any desired and suitable extent for application.

3. An applicator or inserter device for installing in a cavity of the human body a distensible article, such as a pessary, of the type having a resilient annular rim and a body of elastic sheet material; said device comprising an elongated shank having at one end a grooved abutment adapted to be engaged removably with the inner circumference of said annular rim; a flexible tension member comprising a chain having near one end a hook device for engagement removably with a region of said rim remote from said abutment; and means whereby a selected link of said chain may be secured removably to said applicator shank under tension, and serving when so secured to distend said article to any desired and suitable extent for application.

4. An applicator or inserter device for installing in a cavity of the human body a distensible article, such as a pessary of the type having a resilient annular rim and a body of elastic sheet material; said device comprising an elongated metal shank having at one end a grooved abutment adapted to be engaged movably with the inner circumference of said annular rim; a flexible tension member comprising a metal chain having near one end a metal hook device for engagement removably with a region of said rim remote from said abutment; and means whereby any selected link of said chain may be secured removably to said applicator shank under tension, and serving when so secured to distend said article to any desired and suitable extent for application, and to hold it upon said applicator shank; said securing means being releasable by a simple pulling movement upon the chain to permit the tension to be then relaxed, and to permit disengagement of the abutment and of the hook respectively from said rim, thus permitting said article to assume the desired self-retaining position upon the part of the body upon which it is thus installed.

5. An applicator or inserter device having the features claimed in claim 1, in which a bead chain constitutes said tension member, the chain-hook being attached near one end of the chain and said chain having constricted portions between the bead components, and having an enlargement at its free end; said inserter having in its shank a keyhole aperture through which to thread said chain, the aperture being of suitable dimensions to permit lengthwise adjustive movements of said chain, limited at one end of its range of adjustment by said chain-hook, and at the other end of said enlargement, said keyhole aperture having its walls disposed for engagement with said chain between any selected beads, and adapted to nip the chain when so engaged, holding it and the pessary under tension.

GRACE E. TROELLER. 

